A BRITISH folk-rock band will be returning to Milford Haven this week.

Fairport Convention will be celebrating their 55th anniversary with a spring tour across the UK, including a stop at the town’s Torch Theatre on Friday, May 27.

The London group – touted as legends in the genre – will be performing a set celebrating their entire back catalogue from their debut self-titled album in 1968, just a year after their formation, through 29 albums right up until 2020’s Shuffle & Go which was released just before lockdown.

Fans can expect to hear hits including Cider Rain, Don’t Reveal My Name, Steampunkery and Moondust and Solitude among a number of popular tracks.

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Fairport Convention began as a heavily American influenced band, earning the nickname ‘British Jefferson Airplane’ but were steered towards a more British sound over their second and third albums in 1969. Most of the band’s music before seminal album Liege & Lief was retired after drummer Martin Lamble and his girlfriend were killed in a crash on the M1 in 1969, just before the release of the record.

The band was given a BBC Lifetime Achievement Award and were given the ‘Most Influential Folk Album of All Time’ by Radio 2 listeners for their album Liege & Lief. The band have had a number of line-up changes over the decades, including a period of disbandment between 1979 and 1985, delighting fans on their mid-decade return.

Fairport Convention currently features founding member Simon Nicol (1967-71, 1976 to present) on guitar and vocals, Dave Pegg (1972-present) – who is celebrating 50 years with the band - on bass, Rick Sanders (1985-present) on violin, Chris Leslie (1996-present) on fiddle, mandolin and vocals and Gerry Conway (1998-present) on percussion.

Tickets for the show at the Torch Theatre, Milford Haven on Friday, May 27, are priced at £28. The show starts at 7.30pm.

To book tickets, visit www.torchtheatre.co.uk or call the box office on 01646 695267.